Friday, June 29, 2007

The debate is raging over the use of mattress covers in bed bug control. I think there is no doubt about it with regards to the fact that mattress covers can eliminate about ninety percent of the hiding places where bed bugs would infest. The whole concept is to keep the bedbugs from infesting the tufts, buttons, and creases in your mattress and also from infesting the box spring which has about a million spots to hide. If you worry about bringing bedbugs home because you travel often or are in a business where there may be infestations then I would recommend both your mattress and box spring to be covered. Bed bugs will stay as close to the food as possible, and you are the food. With a mattress cover you eliminate that area and make the treatment go a lot more smoothly. It also helps in active infestations because you can treat the mattress and box spring and cover them and the ones already embedded in the mattress and box spring will be trapped and will not be able to come out to feed on you. Do yourself a favor. Wrap up the mattress and box spring.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

August 7th will bring two of the industry leading experts in the pest control field together at New York's Park Central to discuss the nations Bed Bug problem. Rick Cooper and Doctor Mike Potter will hold an all day seminar about the topic that is on every one's mind these days, and that topic is bed bug elimination. Interested pest control professionals can follow the link to Pest Control Technology to find out more.

There has been alot of buzz lately about bed bug sniffing dogs making there debut around the pest control community. Locally there is a company, Cooper Pest Control, who has added one of man's best friend to the staff and I think it is a fantastic idea. Not only is it a wonderful public relations move, it also can improve your chances of inspecting for and not missing bedbug infestations. Dogs have successfully been used in bomb sniffing, termite detection, mold detection, and now bed bug detection. People seem to love them and I think they trust a dog more than a human sometimes, so why not add one to the payroll? I'll give you over a thousand reasons why you might not be adding one any time soon. The cost of a specially trained dog is several thousands of dollars and depending on the demand on your company to do bedbug inspections it might not pay off right away, but given the proper marketing you may see an increase in those requests by adding a dashing dog to your crew. Happy Hunting!

Sunday, June 24, 2007

What's going on with those big black waterbug roaches that are so big you can saddle them up? Well they are called oriental roaches and can creep out the most seasoned of pest control technicians. The best way to treat for them is to use a product that is not distributed anymore called Baygon Bait. This stuff was fantastic when it came to waterbugs. If you can get your hands on this stuff then buy it up fast. The other product out there is niban bait. These baits work well on the larger of roaches. Another good treatment is just your regular perimeter spray with a product like Phantom. Glue boards are also a good tool in trapping these roaches and knocking down the population. Good luck.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

The involvement and thoroughness of a bedbug job will be fetching big money as the amount of bed bug infestations grow. A bed bug job should take you a good day and maybe two people and it would not be wrong to charge upwards of five or six hundred dollars. It will involve follow ups and customer cooperation and you are not going to want to under charge for this if you are a pest control professional. Charge high and if you have to walk away from a job then so be it because it is not worth the headaches you will encounter unless you charge high. It might be worth getting together with your attorney if you anticipate doing alot of bed bug work and type up a specific contract for bed bug treatments that includes apartments and hotels, as well as single family dwellings. Spend the dough and CYA.

Saturday, June 16, 2007

I am asked often for recommendation for places to buy some of the products I talk about in this blog. As you know, many of these products should be applied by a professional, but if you are so inclined to do it yourself then you will be interested in the following article.There are several very informative and useful "do it yourself" pest control websites out there that offer products for all your exterminating needs. The first one I will talk about is at doyourownpestcontrol . This website has a fantastic FAQ section and tip section and a wide variety of products to choose from. The site offers free shipping for orders over twenty dollars and it has a return policy as well as a brick and mortar store located in GA.The next DIY pest control website would be epestsupply . This website offers kits and a large inventory to choose from. The site is organized very well and easy to use. The next one is diypesticides, where you can order your products and see how to apply via a great section that shows photos of how to apply the products. The above websites are just some of the many websites out there that are gaining popularity with homeowners looking to control bedbugs and other pests that are troubling them. All of them offer great advice and great products.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Are the major league players like Terminix or Orkin any better than your neighborhood pest control company? Not really in many cases. A one man operation often times will provide a better service because he values your business more than the bigger company. You can build a better relationship with a one man operation because you will see the same technician each time which might not be the case with a large corporate company. Large corporations might have a better response time but they might also be more expensive and require a more rigid contract basis. Many small companies won't require you to sign a contract and are a little less expensive. Bigger isn't always better in many cases and I think the pest control industry is a perfect example of this. You are paying extra for the big guy's fleet of trucks, their gas, their overhead, their advertising, their chemical cost. The small guy usually gets business by word of mouth, has one truck on the road and services a smaller and tighter territory. As always you should check with your local Better Business Bureau and ask your neighbors who they use when choosing a pest control company, but I'd take a close look at your neighborhood guy the next time you are in the market.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

It seems like with the up rise of bedbugs as of late a lot of people are scrambling to find something to kill these pest with. I thought I would go through some of the bed bug sprays that are on the market right now.

JT Eaton's Bedbug Spray is a pyrethrin based spray that is a contact killer and is oil based. It is for sale for professionals and home owners alike. Be careful where it is used because it is oil based.

Bedlam is another bedbug spray that is water based and boasts a residual lasting up to seven weeks. Another great benefit of this product is the effect on bedbug eggs. The manufacture claims 90% kill of the eggs in treated areas. The spray can be used as a surface spray as well as a crack and crevice spray. This is a professional product.

Thwart bed bug treatment is an over the counter spray being sold via the Internet and I don't really have too much data to write about this product in any capacity.

Steri-Fab is a mostly alcohol based chemical that is a contact killer and is shown to kill bedbugs on contact. It's label is very broad and kills a wide variety of other things as well as bed bugs.

Aside form these ready made products there are a host of concentrated insecticides like Suspend SC and Cy-Kick among others that are great residual insecticides for a longer lasting control.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Fly control is a battle to be sure. Flies can reproduce quickly and in great numbers, often times giving the appearance of thousands of flies. If you are having a problem in or around a bush or a dumpster then there are traps and surface treatments you can use. One product new to the market is Maxforce fly spot bait by Bayer. You mix this up in a sprayer and treat the surfaces the flies rest on. They die almost instantly. Another product is Victor flying insect trap or a "Flying Saucer" These traps come with a fly attractant that you place in the water, or you can just throw piece of meat in there. Inside the home the old stand by fly ribbon or a product called a gold stick is what you can use to catch the flies. If all else fails then the oldest trick in the book will work just as well. The fly swatter!

Saturday, June 02, 2007

So what are the products working out there for ant control these days? What's new on the market? Ant control has always been about colony elimination and some of the best products to use are the non-repellent chemistry out there like Phantom or Termidor. These chemicals allow the ants to continue on their path and pick up a lethal dose of the chemical, bringing back to the nest and getting control. New this year in the bait market is Dupont's Ant Bait Arena. Some of the old standbys are Maxforce Ant bait. The maxforce products come in granule form, bait station form, and gel bait. The gel bait works very well and Maxforce also carries a carpenter ant gel which works very well. Whitmire also carries a great line of ant control products. Dual Choice Ant Bait is one of them. Dual Choice offers two baits in one station and I personally have had great success with this product in the past. There is also a granule ant bait and Whitmire also has a granule carpenter ant bait as well. Some other ant baits include Intice and Uncle Alberts Gourmet Ant Bait. Terro Ant Bait is also very good for sugar feeding ants as well as the Drax products. Drax comes in both sugar feeding and protein cartridges and one cartridge that has both. Ants are fickle feeders and will only feed on sugars or proteins depending on their needs which is why they can be hard to control. One very important thing to remember when baiting or using a non-repellent chemistry spray is to not use any other kind of chemical. If you are baiting then do not use any kind of Raid or Dursban or any chemical that will kill the ants too fast or repel them because you will be cancelling the whole bait effect. If you are spraying with Termidor or Phantom use a dedicated sprayer....not the same sprayer you use for other products as it could lessen or cancel the non repellent effect. Good luck. Go kill some ants!